Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 002.djvu/217

 not rather choose to referr them to a Collection, which possibly I may send you within some time, to have the more room to enlarge in this Letter on the circumstances of a Story, whereof you will be very glad to learn the event.

You have doubtless heard of a Mad-man, that hath been late cured and restored to his Wits by the means of the Transfusion. Some spread a rumour, that he died soon after the operation; others bore the people in hand, that he was relapsed into a greater madness than that before, and in short, it hath been so diversly discoursed of up and down, and with such differing reflections thereon, that I thought my self obliged, for the cleaning up of what false rumours had darken'd, to give you a faithful and exact account of the condition, to which this poor man was reduced before the Transfusion; of what passed during that Operation, and the surprising effects that have followed upon it hitherto.

The Patient is about 34 years of age. His Phrensy began first of all to appear 7 or 8 years ago, and, as far as can be judged, it was occasion'd by a disgrace he received a little before, in some Amours, where he hoped to find a very considerable fortune. This first fit of Extravagance was very violent, and lasted 10 months without any good interval; but returning afterward by little and little to his wits, and having given all the possible marks of a sound understanding, he was married to a young Gentlewoman, who was persuaded, that this madness of his was the relick of a Sickness he had before, and that there was no appearance he would ever relapse into it. But this was far from proving so, as was imagined, and even the very first year of his Marriage ended not without his returning to his former Extravagancies.

Thus then he relapsed, and was several times restored these 7 or 8 years last past. But what is here chiefly to be observed, is, that the fit never lasted with him less than 8 or 10 months, without any respit, notwithstanding all the care and means used to relieve him. For it is also fit to take notice, that a person of Quality, having once taken a purpose to attempt his Cure by all manner of ways, caused him to be bled in his Feet, Arms, and Head, even 18 times, and made him bathe himself 40 times, not